Author
Topic: Batteries too heavy (Read 1445 times)

I was going to remove the house batteries from my 1995 Southwind for the winter but WHEW, mounted behind the front bumper this 65 year old cannot lift them out of the compartment. Heck, I can't pick them up 1 inch to move them out of the battery tray! I topped off the water, cleaned the connections, fabricated new hold downs and called it a day. How do you young fellows get them out??

I was going to remove the house batteries from my 1995 Southwind for the winter but WHEW, mounted behind the front bumper this 65 year old cannot lift them out of the compartment. Heck, I can't pick them up 1 inch to move them out of the battery tray! I topped off the water, cleaned the connections, fabricated new hold downs and called it a day. How do you young fellows get them out??

If you can keep a trickle charger going and be sure they have water, you can leave them in the coach. I've had no problem over many winters, some down to -20ºF for a day or three. I managed to lift a battery out of the Beaver I had (12V deep cycle, huge and heavy), but my forearms were sore for over a month after that, so never again, if I can help it.

I also don't remove house and or start batteries. Make sure battery switches are in off position, batteries full of water and clean. If you don't have charger plugged in, start generator once a month and charge all batteries.

Removing them for the winter is a wise idea if you cannot provide for a trickle charge some how. Or an occasional (2-4 weeks) charge from genset or alternator. Coaches that have the batteries up front are indeed a pain, awkward for anybody to lift batteries in & out. You may need to hire a younger fellow with good upper body strength and a strong back!

I made a winch and derrick to lift my 4D house battery out through the front hood of my motorhome. A half dozen 2x4x10' made a saw horse 8 ft.tall across the front of the motorhome and a come-along went down to a sling around the battery. If I didn't have the come-along a couple of loops of rope around a pair of pulleys would have worked about as well.

rls7201

I was going to remove the house batteries from my 1995 Southwind for the winter but WHEW, mounted behind the front bumper this 65 year old cannot lift them out of the compartment. Heck, I can't pick them up 1 inch to move them out of the battery tray! I topped off the water, cleaned the connections, fabricated new hold downs and called it a day. How do you young fellows get them out??

Us young fellows just lift those 64# batteries up and out. But I'm only 74

You can buy a simple strap that very cleverly self locks onto the battery posts once you have removed the cables..then it is a simple matter of just lifting the strap up and out.....Install in the reverse order...I just did this last fall to install a sheet of thin plywood in the battery carrier for the batteries to sit on. Bear in mind, the batteries still weigh the same!...yes they are heavy

On my '97 Bounder my batteries are also mounted behind the grill work. They are positioned left and right of center, I used a shop jack to lift each battery up into that center area from the bottom, and then slid them off the jack into position in their respective trays. The old ones were removed the same way.

Note:I did use my Dremel to remove a few rivets (and replaced them with stainless screws) to make my grill removable so I could work with the cables in the area from the front rather than down from the top.

I'm 79, so I've had to work smarter, rather than harder, for some time.

I'm 79, so I've had to work smarter, rather than harder, for some time.

Working smarter is good. Exercise is good. For people mechanically challenged like me, working smarter some times makes the problem worse. At 74 I'm no where near as strong as I was 10 years ago. But I can still lift a 50-60 lb battery if necessary. Suggest anyone having difficulty moving a standard battery start a strength training program. It's only going to get harder.

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Gary B1st

2005 Pace Arrow 35G2016 Jeep Wrangler

Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich.

At 74 I'm no where near as strong as I was 10 years ago. But I can still lift a 50-60 lb battery if necessary. Suggest anyone having difficulty moving a standard battery start a strength training program.

Try lifting that 60lb battery to chin level, extending it out to arms length (through a 12" high opening), lowering it to waist level behind the grill and positioning it to the left or right onto a battery tray/shelf. I seriously doubt that one-in-ten people can do it at 47 much less 74. I have no intention of starting any kind of exercise program at 79.

Try lifting that 60lb battery to chin level, extending it out to arms length (through a 12" high opening), lowering it to waist level behind the grill and positioning it to the left or right onto a battery tray/shelf. I seriously doubt that one-in-ten people can do it at 47 much less 74. I have no intention of starting any kind of exercise program at 79.

Whokares2 and Lou, totally agree Missed that minor consideration.

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Gary B1st

2005 Pace Arrow 35G2016 Jeep Wrangler

Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich.

Working smarter is good. Exercise is good. For people mechanically challenged like me, working smarter some times makes the problem worse. At 74 I'm no where near as strong as I was 10 years ago. But I can still lift a 50-60 lb battery if necessary. Suggest anyone having difficulty moving a standard battery start a strength training program. It's only going to get harder.

What's a standard battery? All six batteries in my Beaver were well over 100 lbs each. You're probably thinking of the 6V batteries, which are half the weight, but (as Lou indicates) even those can be tough when in certain positions.